Bottle stopper and pouring spout



oct. 1,' 1946.

Filed Sept. l4,` 1944 H. B. WRIGHT BOTTLE STOPPER AND POURING SPOUT 2 SheetsSheet l Inventor WW Hmm Ont. 1,l 1946. H. B. w'RlGHT l BOTTLE STOPPER' AND POURING SPOUT Filed sept. 14, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 Attorneys Patented Oct. 1, 1946 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE f' c* 2,408,463 n' Bo'r'rLE s'roPPER AND POURING sPoUT n Hubert Wright, Nashville, Tenn.`

Y. Application September 14, 1944, Serial No.v554,061

This invention relates to certain novel and uscful improvements in bottle Stoppers of the weighted, gravity-actuated, self-opening and 'closing types, it being the principal purpose of Vmy invention to structurally and otherwise improve upon known marketed and patented closures, whereby to provide an arrangement which, it is believed, better fullls the requirements of all concerned. y As is implied in the introductory general statement of the invention, I am suciently conversant with the state of the art to realize that reciprocatory closures and Stoppers are not in any sense of the word broadly new, that many difierent forms and styles have been advocated for adoption anduse. Y Keeping in mind such guides, I have devised and perfected a unique structural adaptation and coaction ofrparts,this in an effort to provide a reliably operating closure or stopper destined to meet the requirements of the manufacturer and the trade in general, and to promotesanitary results Where the structure is used on food-containing and dispensing bottles.

More speciiicallmthe preferred embodiment or the invention is characterizedv by a projectible and retractible rod, this provided at its outer end with the stopper proper and yprovided intermediate its ends .with a companion pouring sleeve, the latter. functioning in a relatively xed adapter cylinder. I

Further novelty is predicated on the structural unit characterized by a rod, hollow and charged with small lead balls or weights, these being roll'- ably shiftable from the rod into a complem'ental hollow head, the latter forming the bottle stopper, whereby to provide a readily projectible and re` tractible plunger l'assembly susceptible of accom# plishing the desired ends with assuring-` certainty;

' As will be hereinafter seen the essence ofthe invention has to do with a projectible andretractible vplunger-like unit which vis Vsuitably weighted to readily move in' and out and with its having at its intermediate portion anopen-ended sleeve. the sleeve beingl telescopically associated withvthe fixed guide cylinder in the bottle, and said sleeve constituting a pouring barrel, the latterQwhen proiected; serving to deliver the poured contents wellV beyond the' discharge flip` of the bottle extension neck, whereby to promote Vgreat sanitation. Y l V Other features and advantages Y will'V become more readily apparent from the following-descripv 4 vClaims. (Cl. 215-74) Y 2 portion of the bottle and other `parts broken away, certain partsappearing in section and others in elevation to eiiectively disclose the complete assemblage and association of said parts.

Figure 3 lisa top plan view of Figure v1.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing the fbottie tilted and the closure Open, this to distion and the accompanying illustrative drawings. Y

I In thedrawings, wherein like'numerals areem-Y ployed to designate' like parts throughoutfthe samet f Figure 1 is an elevational view of a catsup blot-v tle or the like equippeclwith a self-acting closure constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention, the closure being shown closed.

Figure 2 is a View like Figure l with the uppercharge the contents in an evident manner;

' Figure 5 is a View of thel plunger unit with; parts in section and parts in elevation.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Referring now tothe different views of the drawings by distinguishing reference numerals, it will be seen that the bottle, which is substantially conventionaL; is 'denoted by the numeral i, this having a-pouringneck 'I and an externally screw-threadedl vdischarge mouth "8. An auxiliary or extensionk neck, of appropriate material and dimensions, andV indicated at 9', is provided, this having ,an-outwardly flaring stopper-seating bore Il) forming an extensionand continuation of the neck l. This auxiliary or'extension neck 9 is provided lwith an annular skirt-like shelli I, a portion of which is externally knurled andthe other portion of which is screw-threaded, as at I2, to'attach'to the screw threads on the pouring mouth 8 of bottle neck-'I (see Fig. 2).

I next call attention V,to a centralized, longitudinally elongated cylinder I3 which maybeconveniently referred tov as an adapter,H thi's being suitablyxed and :suspended 'in the mouth 8 and depending into the .body of the bottle S. Itis closed at its inner end' except'for a central guide hole and its wall' portions larev formed on dia-- metrically vopposite sides with slots I4 which serve to provide-inlets for "thecontents of the'bottle '6, whether it be catsup, or some other food'product.

ylnext callattentionv to that' portion of the structure which is'freferred to, in a general sense, as a projectible and retractble weight and gravity-actuatedplunger unit," this being denoted'by the numeral I5 and shown: to advantage in Figure' 5,. It comprises ahollowstem or rod Iof appropriate dimensions and material, the same being open at its inner end and alsov screw-threaded, as' at I1,"at the sameiend. On itsouter end it-is provided with an integral 'head Irwh'ich is the'stopp'er proper, and this embodies a concavo-4 convexexposable dome ISand an appropriately taperedfrim 20;; YThe-stem `I6 'is loadedwitha multiplicity of small lead weights or balls ZI which roll back and forth from: the stem vIii into the head 'I8 and vice versa, depending on :the pov sition1of the plunger'l. "A suitable cap22 Ais mounted on and serves to close the inner thread-r ed end I1, this cap having4 anfoutstanding annular flange 23 which Vconstitutes a stop,L his ab'u-ttingffth'e -'closed inner! end' of-'ith'fafor'inen tioned guide, adapter cylinder I3. The centraline i ing sleeve 24.

ing, stabilizing, and pouring sleeve 24 is provided with a suitable spider rigidly secured, as at the point 25, to the stem ES, and this concentrically surrounds the stem I6 in spaced relation. It slides back and forth in the xed adapter cylinder I3 and also projects through and beyond the extension neck 9 when the closure is open, as shown in Figure 4.

In eliect, the extension neck` 9y with its skirtlike shell II, together with the plug-likestopper I8, coact in forming a bottle cap. Thus, the entire unit, including the adapter guide I3, mayV be readily inserted and removed.

It is evident that when the bottle 6 is sitting upright, the weights 2| roll down into the stem IE and nrrnly seat the stopperA I8 in the extension neck 9, as shown in Figures' 1 andi 2, When, however, the bottle 6 is inverted and tilted to the approximate position shown in Figure 4, the weights 2I- roll into the hollow stopper I 8` and the entire plunger unit I is projected to thusA open the bottle 6 and permit the contents to be poured therefrom through the open-ended` pour- The stop action of the element 23 and the length of sleeve 24 are properly coordinated so that the major portion of the contents issuing from the bottle 6 passes" directly from the bottle E through the cylinder I 3 and then the sleeve 24, thus' keeping the seating bore III clean substantially at all times.A

As' previously` mentioned, I desire' to stress, if not emphasize, the function of the open-ended sleeve 24. It not only serves' to guide the plunger I5 in and out' and to properly seat the stopper IB, but it is in itself an important factor in that it serves as a` unique pouring spout, as it were. When it is projected to its extreme outer position the' discharge end thereof is VWell beyond the discharge lip of the extension neck 9'. Consequently, the contents is fed out in a stream clear of said lip. When the bottle Ii is righted the sleeve 24 slips' b'ack into its receding position and discharges the contents back into the bottle 6. If there be any of the contents deposited on the stopper seating bore I0 oi the extension neck 9, it will drain back into the bottle due to the beveled formation of said bore. When the bottle 6 is tilted, the contents enter the apertures HI in the cylinder I3, the cylinder I3 serving as a guide for the sleeve 24. Consequently, the contents flow' from` the cylinderk into the sleeve 24 and out of the discharge end'l of the sleeve 24 in an obvious and feasible manner. It follows therefore that the invention is in effect a weighted stopper coacting with a special attachment neck, this on the one hand, and a projectible and retractible pouring sleeve on the other. The weights in the plunger serve to effectively jut the sleeve to pouring position and to then return it effectively to conceal it in its retracted position.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction with the invention as illustrated in the drawings will enable the reader to obtain .a clear understanding and impression of the alleged features of merit and novelty sufiicient to clarify the construction of the invention as' hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made from the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a structure of the class described, lin combination, a bottle having a neck, a cylinder mounted on the interior of the bottle and coacting with the neck, said cylinder having inlet slots, a rod slidable in said cylinder, a stopper on the outer end of said rod, said stopper being engageable with and movable toward and from the discharge mouth of said neck, and an open-ended sleeve on said rod, said sleeve telescoping into the outer end portion of said cylinder and being projectible to a p-oint well beyond the bottle neck, whereby to deliver the contents of the bottle into theV cylinder and then into the sleeve and from the sleeve when said sleeve is projected to a position well beyond the neck.

2. A plunger-like closure for a bottle neck comprising a hollow elongated rod, a hollow stopper-forming head secured to the outer end of the rod, a plurality of shiftable ball weights arranged in and coacting with the rod and head and gravity shiftable back and forth, said rod being open at its inner end and externally screwthreaded, and a screw-cap` threaded on said externally screw-threaded inner end, said screw-cap closing the adjacent coacting end of said rod and being provided with an outstanding annular ilange constituting a stop, said rod being provided intermediate its ends with a xedly mounted concentrically spaced open-ended sleeve.

3. A plunger-like closure unit adapted to be mounted in a bottle neck comprising an elongated hollow rod, an enlarged hollow head secured to the outer end of said rod, the opposite inner end of said rod being extern-ally screw-threaded and open, a screw-cap threaded on said externally screw-threaded inner end and closing said end, said screw cap being provided with a marginal annular ange constituting a stop element, a guide and contents-pouring and pitching sleeve, said sleeve being of a diameter lconsiderably greater than the rod and of a diameter less than the head, said sleeve being open at opposite ends, concentrically surrounding an intermediate portion of the rod, and having an open spider secured to said rod.

4. In a bottle stopper and pouring assembly of the class described, in combination, a bottle including a neck, an auxiliary neck connected to and extending beyond the first-named neck and provided with a bore terminating in a stopper seat, an elongated cylinder rigidly mounted in said neck and projecting and depending into the interior of the bottle, said cylinder being provided at its inner end with a guide opening and intermediate its ends with slots, said slots being in communication with said interior to facilitate delivery of contents of the bottle into the cylinder, a rod slidably mounted in the inner end of said cylinder and provided with stop means engageable with said cylinder, theV opposite end of said rod extending outwardly through and beyond the outer end of the cylinder and beyond the stopper seat on said extension neck, saidrod being provided at its outer end with a stopper and said stopper having a beveled margin-al portion engageable with saidv seat, and an open-ended sleeve surrounding the rod in spaced concentric relationV and rigidly secured thereto, said sleeve being adapted, when the stopper is closed, to recede and to telescope in-to an adjacent end portion of said cylinder, said sleeve beingy projectible beyond the outer end of the extension neck for .contents pouring purposes.

HUBERT B. WRIGHT. 

